Wet Leg's "Chaise Longue": A 2021 timeline
by Jim McGuinn
January 01, 2022
In less than six months, Wet Leg and the hit “Chaise Longue” went from unknown to inescapable. Excuse me. What?
Check out the entire Top 89 of 2021 right here.
June 29 – My friend Lisa Cristiano, who is an independent record promoter, sends me a text that reads, “Not working this one but boy, do I like it” and a link to the video for Wet Leg’s debut single, “Chaise Longue,” which was released on June 15 in the U.K. The video has had a few thousand views at this point.
It is a gorgeous sunny morning, and I am walking my dog to the park when I click on the link. Within 60 seconds I have decided this is my new favorite song, my song of the summer, and my song of 2021. Seldom in my life have I been so sure of anything as this song with its odd lyrics, deadpan delivery, and a video featuring two women wearing bonnets and kicking around a meadow and porch. I send the link of the video to others at The Current, and encourage us to add the song to rotation. I also begin bombarding peers and friends around the country about the song. I feel slightly foolish, but also excited – it’s so fun to have a new favorite song!
July 9 – David Safar plays Wet Leg on New Hot. We are among the first in the U.S. to give this brand new band a spin on the radio.
July 12 – The Current officially adds “Chaise Longue” to our playlist, and the song begins to get light regular airplay. In trying to find anything to say about the band, I stumble onto a story in Dork, a British music mag, that proclaims Wet Leg to be “QUITE CLEARLY THE BEST NEW BAND ON THE PLANET. Yes, yes. We’re saying this off the back of 1 (ONE) track and a very good video, but – frankly – f*** it.” I wholeheartedly concur, and am pleased to learn I’m not alone.
July 20 – A note to friends reads, “Last night I was on The Current and raved about Wet Leg before playing the song. I said it was the Best Song of 2021 even though it’s only July.” I start getting emails from listeners who agree. Something is definitely going on with this song.
Aug 24 – I was a guest on Angela Davis’ MPR News show, talking about the best songs of the summer. Along with obvious tunes by Lizzo and Lorde, I sneak in a mention of Wet Leg and a clip of the song, proclaiming it not just my favorite song of the summer, but the entire year, to which laughter ensues. And, two emails from MPR News listeners who want to know more.
Aug 25 – Current listener Julie Glover emails to ask why Wet Leg is not on the ballot for the Chart Show yet. (We often wait a few weeks with a new song before putting it on the ballot.) She and others begin to use the write-in slot to vote for this song.
Sept 7 – “Chaise Longue” debuts on The Chart Show as a write-in song at #20.
Sept 10 – Waking to the reality that not everyone loves my favorite song of the year. One Current listener tweets “can you PLEASE stop trying to make everyone like Wet Leg? ‘Chaise Longue’ is obnoxious and annoying...insanely annoying. My coworker and I play The Current at work, and ‘Chaise Longue’ is driving us up a wall. It's only a matter of time before one of us snaps.” An online debate ensues, with forces aligned pro- and anti-”Chaise Longue.” Pop music is so much more fun to debate sometimes than politics.
Sept 29 – Wet Leg release their second song, “Wet Dream,” which David Safar debuts on New Hot on The Current on October 1.
October 6 – In its 5th week on The Chart Show, Chaise Longue hits #1. Per this metric, it is now the most popular song on The Current.
October 11 – Wet Leg’s “Chaise Longue” streaming numbers reveal their most popular market in the U.S. is Minneapolis.
October 21 – Jill Riley interviews Rhian and Hester of Wet Leg via Zoom from their homes in the Isle of Wight.
November 9 – After five weeks at #1, “Chaise Longue” enters The Current’s Chart Show Hall of Fame, retiring at #1. The next week, the duo’s second single “Wet Dream” debuts at #3 on the Chart Show. Wet Leg mania is in full effect.
November 29 – Wet Leg announce an April 8 release date for their debut album, along with a U.S. tour kicking off in St. Paul in March at the Amsterdam Bar and Hall. At this point this is a ridiculous underplay, and sells out in seconds.
December 8 – Wet Leg make their U.S. television debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers.
Music blogs press and the NME cover this event somewhat breathlessly. The Current opens up voting for the annual Top 89 listener poll. After the first day of voting, “Chaise Longue” is already on pace to end up one of the top songs of 2021, according to Current listeners.
December 29 – Simon LeBon of Duran Duran declares Wet Leg his favorite new band of 2021, along with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads.
December 31 at 11:57 p.m. – Wet Leg’s “Chaise Longue” is revealed as The Current’s #1 Song of the Year. Not bad for the tune that Hester described to us as “this song we could cry and laugh at to, a funny, not serious song, so different to anything they’d put in the computer before”